The Gaslight Anthem takes Central Park SummerStage w/ Joyce Manor & Pinkshift August 21st, 2024.

Written by cupor1 on August 29, 2024

Review by Shannon Daly –

In October 2023, The Gaslight Anthem came out of the ashes and sparked a rock revival with their sixth studio album, History Books, after almost a decade and a three year hiatus. The “History Books” Tour’s North American summer leg includes the SummerStage in Central Park, The Fillmore in Philadelphia, and Asbury Park’s famous Stone Pony SummerStage.

Joined on this tour is Joyce Manor, a band that I can only describe as a group of thirty year olds who keep the spirit of the scene alive like they’re twenty two (Barry Johnson’s own words, by the way), and do it masterfully. I never have found them cheesy or washed-up, I always just find them fun. If you’ve ever been to a famous Joyce Manor Crossroads NJ show, you will know the unparalleled energy they bring to both a big and small stage. Their last tour with PUP seemed like a perfect match for them, which is what surprised me most about this pairing with The Gaslight Anthem, a band I would consider more classic-rock esque rather than scene punk.

On this perfect summer day of August 21st, the sun was shining with a beautiful moody breeze in the 70s. It was a day you could only make better with some live music. The overall age of this crowd was from an era of early 2010’s rock, but there were also those of which were much older, in their early forties, who simply enjoy some good modern classic rock. The context in which The Gaslight Anthem’s genre lies is almost dependent on what bands they tour with. With Joyce Manor as an opener, it painted them in an emo-sounding light (with some chord progressions in both bands sounding eerily similar…). I never would have paired these two bands together, until hearing them live and realizing the Gaslight Athems’s sound does reveal pop-punk at its core.

Pinkshift started the night with their usual set of thrashy post-hardcore punk. The younger pit crowd was slightly active at Pinkshift and Joyce manor, whose pit-energy seemed to dwindle into more of a vibed-out crowd. It was something my friends and I noticed directly after the show, that the night seemed to start and end on two different sides of the genre.

The Gaslight Anthem’s show began with a beautiful light show that shone up into the New York sky, and their sound just blasted off the stage. It kind of reminded me, and I mean no offense here at all, of Nickleback. Some of my favorites from the night were “45” and “High Lonesome” which left my friend in complete awe of the drum rig and guitar tone. I must mention the “Ocean Eyes” cover, which truely blue me away at how versatile that song can be! Even the dads knew the lyrics and were singing along to a 13 year old’s Billie Eilish’s writing. It sounded fantastic with some added rock flare, and added a fiery twist to the… modern classic?…can I say that yet…?

They left little time for chat, as they barrelled through twenty songs in around an hour and a half. With soft songs like “The Weatherman”, the night breeze of a cold New York summer breeze felt just right. The lush guitar on this one made it so I could just close my eyes and take in the last breath of late August summertime. If you enjoy classic rock with some whispers of punk music, the Gaslight Anthem may just be your new favorite band. Especially touring with a band like Joyce Manor and Pinkshift that brings the youthful, hardcore-spirit to these shows, it unites all ages to a show that celebrates great live music and lots of dad-headbanging. But that’s where the fun is!

The Gaslight Anthem comes to New Jersey again on September 15th at the Stone Pony SummerStage.